Robert Nisbet on Images of History

Abstract The tendency to ascribe patterns to history must be grounded in the evidence. Otherwise, the pattern one devises can become mistaken for reality. Paradoxically, Robert Nisbet described a pattern in the history of writing history, from the ancient metaphor of history as a series of life cycles to the modern image of linear progress. The usefulness of such images can be outweighed by their limitations, which Nisbet set forth, in large part because history simply is not finished yet. We today—and especially leaders—should not find ourselves trapped within any one paradigm. Images of history do not control leaders.